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Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America

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distribution <strong>of</strong> P and other elements was determined by scanning XRF analysis <strong>of</strong> polished slabs<br />

and by SEM/EDS analysis <strong>of</strong> polished thin sections.<br />

These analyses revealed interesting relationships between fossils and P. Live-buried fossils and<br />

calcareous concretions formed around such fossils are enriched in P compared to surrounding<br />

silt or mud. This P is associated <strong>with</strong> concentric rings <strong>of</strong> pyrite and/or Mn. Winnowed shell beds<br />

contain visibly recognizable grains <strong>with</strong> far higher P concentrations than those <strong>of</strong> articulated<br />

remains, yet some disarticulated columnals contain similarly high concentrations <strong>of</strong> P only in the<br />

stereom around the lumen.<br />

These observations suggest that obrution <strong>of</strong> macr<strong>of</strong>ossils contributed and/or fixed P in the<br />

sediment, and that P was mobile after deposition. The concordance between P and pyrite or Mn<br />

confirms that Eh gradients influenced precipitation. The fact that visibly-high concentrations <strong>of</strong> P<br />

are limited to disarticulated remains may signify that phosphogenesis progresses over cycles <strong>of</strong><br />

winnowing, but the similarly high concentration <strong>of</strong> P in the lumen regions <strong>of</strong> some disarticulated<br />

columnals hints that the process was initiated in the earliest stages <strong>of</strong> decay when organic-rich<br />

lumenal tissues were still present.<br />

27-3 8:40 AM Babcock, Loren E. [218789]<br />

CARNIVOROUS TRILOBITES: MORPHOLOGIC, ICHNOLOGIC, AND TAPHONOMIC<br />

EVIDENCE<br />

BABCOCK, Loren E., School <strong>of</strong> Earth Sciences, The Ohio State University, 275 Mendenhall<br />

Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, loren.babcock@geol.lu.se and BRANDT,<br />

Danita S., Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geological</strong> Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI<br />

48824<br />

Mounting evidence from polymerid trilobites and their trace fossils suggests that many, and<br />

perhaps the majority, <strong>of</strong> taxa were active predators or scavengers. Morphologic evidence from<br />

the exoskeleton includes attachment mechanisms allowing active movement <strong>of</strong> the hypostome,<br />

and in some, hypostome morphology (e.g., forked serrated blades capable <strong>of</strong> slicing prey).<br />

Spiny appendages may have assisted in restraining prey.<br />

Numerous Rusophycus-Planolites trace fossil associations representing the interactions<br />

<strong>of</strong> trilobites and ‘worms’ provide clear documentation <strong>of</strong> trilobite attack strategy and prey<br />

manipulation. A large variety <strong>of</strong> Rusophycus predation traces are now known. The trilobites’<br />

incursions into the sediment for purposes <strong>of</strong> feeding are remarkably precise, suggesting that<br />

chemosensory skills may have played a large role in locating prey that was concealed <strong>with</strong>in<br />

sediment.<br />

Fossilized alimentary tracts, preserved through early diagenetic mineralization, provide another<br />

source <strong>of</strong> information about trilobite ‘paleogastronomy,’ the dietary habits <strong>of</strong> trilobites. Numerous<br />

trilobites are now known to preserve digestive tracts, and nearly all have mineralized (not<br />

sediment-filled or sclerite-filled) guts. This implies that the guts were fluid-filled at the time <strong>of</strong> death<br />

and burial, a condition common in extant carnivorous arachnomorph arthropods.<br />

27-4 9:00 AM Brandt, Danita S. [218616]<br />

ICHNOLOGIC EVIDENCE FOR PREDATORY TRILOBITES: HOW LITERALLY CAN WE READ<br />

THE RECORD?<br />

BRANDT, Danita S., Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geological</strong> Sciences, Michigan State University, East<br />

Lansing, MI 48824, brandt@msu.edu<br />

Superimposition <strong>of</strong> trilobite trace fossils (Rusophycus) <strong>with</strong> “worm” burrows (e.g, Paleophycus) is<br />

used to support interpretations <strong>of</strong> trilobite predatory behavior. However, the stratigraphic range <strong>of</strong><br />

these “trilobite hunting burrows” is not entirely coincident <strong>with</strong> the stratigraphic range <strong>of</strong> trilobite<br />

taxa presumed to have been predatory, based on the morphological criterion <strong>of</strong> having had<br />

spinose gnathobases. Trilobites <strong>with</strong> spinose gnathobases reportedly range from the Cambrian<br />

through the Permian; Rusophycus is also known over the same range. Trilobite/worm burrow<br />

associations are relatively rare. Specimens interpreted as showing this predator/prey interaction<br />

have been described from four different stratigraphic localities ranging from the Cambrian to the<br />

Silurian. If trilobites <strong>with</strong> spinose gnathobases were predatory, why are there no trilobite hunting<br />

burrows from post-Silurian strata? If the correlation <strong>of</strong> possession <strong>of</strong> spinose gnathobases <strong>with</strong><br />

a predatory habit is causal, then a literal reading <strong>of</strong> the fossil record <strong>of</strong> trilobite hunting burrows<br />

suggests that our characterization <strong>of</strong> post-Silurian trilobite limbs is incomplete, and that, after the<br />

Silurian, trilobites did not occupy the predator niche. The elimination <strong>of</strong> this trophic option would<br />

have reflected the reduction <strong>of</strong> trilobite diversity through the Mid-to-Late Paleozoic.<br />

27-5 9:20 AM Peteya, Jennifer A. [218506]<br />

DIETARY PREFERENCES OF THE CAMBRIAN TRILOBITE ELRATHIA KINGII: INFERENCES<br />

FROM FOSSILIZED DIGESTIVE TRACTS<br />

PETEYA, Jennifer A. and BABCOCK, Loren E., School <strong>of</strong> Earth Sciences, The Ohio State<br />

University, 275 Mendenhall Laboratory, 125 S. Oval Mall, Columbus, OH 43210, peteya.2@<br />

osu.edu<br />

Specimens <strong>of</strong> the common trilobite Elrathia kingii from the Wheeler Formation (Cambrian Series<br />

3) <strong>of</strong> western Utah were studied for their digestive tract contents using standard microscopic,<br />

computed tomographic (CT) imaging, and microtomographic (micro-CT) imaging techniques.<br />

Specimens showing fossilized alimentary tracts are complete dorsal exoskeletons retaining the<br />

librigenae, preserved in cone-in-cone calcite concretions. Examined specimens have collapsed<br />

glabellas that approximate the margins <strong>of</strong> the stomach cavity. Remains <strong>of</strong> the digestive system<br />

are outlined by a thin crust <strong>of</strong> pyrite, perhaps reflecting early mineralization <strong>of</strong> a bi<strong>of</strong>ilm associated<br />

<strong>with</strong> decay early in the taphonomic process. Similar pyritic crusts have been observed on the<br />

hypostome and near the exoskeletal margin. A circular stomach is located in the anterior part <strong>of</strong><br />

the glabella, and it is followed by a thin, slightly tapering tube that extends the length <strong>of</strong> the axis.<br />

Neither sediment fill nor macerated sclerites have been found in the gut <strong>of</strong> E. kingii, which tends<br />

to rule out the possibility that this trilobite was either a sediment deposit-feeder or a scleriteingesting<br />

durophagous carnivore. Instead, the presence <strong>of</strong> an open, pyrite-lined gut suggests<br />

a fluid-filled alimentary tract at the time <strong>of</strong> death, and implies a carnivorous feeding strategy<br />

involving separation <strong>of</strong> the skeletal parts <strong>of</strong> prey prior to ingestion.<br />

27-6 9:40 AM Devera, Joseph [218330]<br />

DEATH BY COMMON HOUSEHOLD TOOLS: MECHANICAL ANALOGY AND THE<br />

FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF THE HYPOSTOME IN GENUS ISOTELUS (DEKAY)<br />

EVIDENCE FROM ISOTELUS IOWENSIS (OWEN)<br />

DEVERA, Joseph, Illinois State <strong>Geological</strong> Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University <strong>of</strong><br />

Illinois, 5776 Coal Drive, Suite 121, Carterville, IL 62918, j-devera@illinois.edu<br />

The forked morphology <strong>of</strong> the hypostome in the Genus Isotelus (DeKay) is analogous to the<br />

common straight claw hammer. The claw portion <strong>of</strong> the hammer is strikingly similar in form and<br />

function to that <strong>of</strong> the isotelid hypostome. Cross-sections <strong>of</strong> both isotelid hypostome and claw<br />

hammer reveal a flat to slightly curved ventral surface and a beveled, dorsal surface on the inner<br />

SESSION NO. 27<br />

side <strong>of</strong> each tine. The notch <strong>of</strong> the fork in the hypostome narrows toward the anterior end <strong>of</strong> the<br />

structure, identical to a claw hammer. This morphology implies a prying function for the isotelid<br />

hypostome. The forked morphology together <strong>with</strong> the partially arched, enrollment habit observed<br />

in Isotelus iowensis(Owen) fossils, suggests a dual prying/digging habit for feeding purposes.<br />

All isotelid cephalons are convex, spade-like and were well adapted for digging in s<strong>of</strong>t, lime-mud<br />

environments where they are typically preserved. This idea supports the predatory habits for<br />

asaphid trilobites proposed by Forety and Owens.<br />

Isotelid species including I. maximus, I. gigas, I. rex and I. iowensis all attain a relatively large<br />

size compared to other trilobites. This relates to food intake that had high nutritional value. A<br />

number <strong>of</strong> specimens <strong>of</strong> I. iowensis have been found in association <strong>with</strong> Chondrites isp. burrows.<br />

In the Maquoketa Shale, a distal tempestite bed containing anoxic mud (now pyritic shale) yields<br />

trilobites “frozen” in time. They appear to have been feeding at the level <strong>of</strong> an abundance <strong>of</strong><br />

Chondrites isp.burrows.<br />

The forked shape <strong>of</strong> the isotelid hypostome was an adaptation for infaunal polychete worm<br />

extraction. The flattened shovel-like cephalon was well adapted for digging into s<strong>of</strong>t sediment.<br />

The morphological fits between common household tools i.e. claw hammer and spade and the<br />

hypostome and cephalon in the Genus Isotelus is remarkable. This strategy made the isotelids<br />

highly successful as predators on and in muddy infaunal environments.<br />

27-7 10:20 AM Drumheller, Stephanie K. [218637]<br />

NO ANIMAL WAS SAFE IN THE TRIASSIC: MULTIPLE PREDATION ATTEMPTS ON A LARGE<br />

(5-6 METER) CARNIVOROUS “RAUISUCHIAN” FROM THE LATE TRIASSIC OF NEW MEXICO<br />

DRUMHELLER, Stephanie K., Department <strong>of</strong> Earth and Planetary Sciences, The University<br />

<strong>of</strong> Tennessee, 306 EPS Building, 1412 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN 37996, sdrumhel@utk.edu,<br />

STOCKER, Michelle R., Jackson School <strong>of</strong> Geosciences, The University <strong>of</strong> Texas at Austin,<br />

Austin, TX 78712-0254, and NESBITT, Sterling, Department <strong>of</strong> Geology, Field Museum <strong>of</strong><br />

Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605<br />

Hypotheses <strong>of</strong> past diets and feeding behaviors are informed by important, but rare, direct<br />

evidence <strong>of</strong> trophic interactions in the fossil record (e.g. bite marks). We present evidence <strong>of</strong><br />

three independent predation events on a single femur from a large loricatan (=”rauisuchian”)<br />

from the Upper Triassic Chinle Formation (~210 MYA). The predation events consist <strong>of</strong> 1) at<br />

least one failed predation attempt by a large phytosaur; 2) a feeding event by a large predator<br />

at or soon after death; and 3) a second possible feeding event peri- or postmortem. Evidence<br />

<strong>of</strong> the first attack is in the form <strong>of</strong> partially healed punctures and a large embedded tooth crown<br />

(>5 cm in length based on CT data) in the proximolateral portion <strong>of</strong> the femur. We identify the<br />

tooth as phytosaurian based on a rounded cross section and a straight long axis. Reaction tissue<br />

in the punctures and surrounding the tooth indicates that the loricatan survived those injuries.<br />

The second event is represented by a group <strong>of</strong> bite marks on opposing sides <strong>of</strong> the femur; all<br />

are roughly 8 by 5 mm in size and fusiform, indicating that the trace maker’s teeth were laterally<br />

compressed and had carinae that possibly were serrated. The spacing and morphology <strong>of</strong> these<br />

marks indicates that the actor was a large predator, but the taxonomic identification is unclear.<br />

These bite marks exhibit obvious impact trauma <strong>with</strong> no reaction tissue, indicating that the attack<br />

occurred at or near time-<strong>of</strong>-death. The third event consists <strong>of</strong> scores present near midshaft that<br />

are oriented roughly perpendicular to the long axis <strong>of</strong> the femur. No reaction tissue is present,<br />

which suggests that this event also occurred at or after time-<strong>of</strong>-death. This specimen provides<br />

a rare opportunity to interpret ancient feeding and predation by multiple actors on a single prey<br />

animal over a period <strong>of</strong> the life and death history <strong>of</strong> that individual. Our analysis <strong>of</strong> this specimen<br />

indicates 1) loricatans had the potential to survive major predation attacks and 2) seemingly<br />

top predators clearly were targeted by other members <strong>of</strong> the fauna. Though the Late Triassic<br />

loricatans <strong>of</strong>ten are interpreted as top terrestrial predators in part because <strong>of</strong> their large size<br />

(most loricatans are ~3-6 m total length), the attacks recorded by this specimen demonstrate that<br />

size alone should not be the sole factor in determining trophic status.<br />

27-8 10:40 AM Peterson, Joseph E. [218101]<br />

FLUVIAL TRANSPORT POTENTIAL OF ARCHOSAUR TEETH: A PRELIMINARY<br />

INVESTIGATION IN SHED TOOTH TAPHONOMY<br />

PETERSON, Joseph E. and COENEN, Jason, Department <strong>of</strong> Geology, University <strong>of</strong><br />

Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Harrington Hall 211, Oshkosh, WI 54901, petersoj@uwosh.edu<br />

The rate <strong>of</strong> tooth replacement in dinosaurs has been well-studied as a part <strong>of</strong> paleobiology. The<br />

tooth replacement rates for sauropods have been determined to be very rapid, replacing teeth in<br />

as little as 30 days. Theropods have a considerably lower replacement rate, replacing teeth over<br />

a nine-month span. In the Late Jurassic Morrison formation the shed teeth <strong>of</strong> large theropods<br />

such as Allosaurus are more abundant than the shed teeth <strong>of</strong> sauropods. However, this is at odds<br />

<strong>with</strong> the relatively higher abundance <strong>of</strong> sauropod skeletal remains. While this disparity may be<br />

due to ecological or behavioral influences, such as predator/prey ratios or migratory strategies,<br />

taphonomic processes, such as fluvial transport potential, may also be influential. To investigate<br />

taphonomic influences on shed tooth abundances, an experiment was designed to test the<br />

fluvial transport potential <strong>of</strong> shed theropod and sauropod teeth. Teeth <strong>of</strong> Alligator mississipiensis<br />

were utilized to model dinosaur teeth; shed crowns <strong>of</strong> A. mississippiensis represented conicalshaped<br />

theropod teeth, and full teeth were used to model peg-shaped teeth <strong>of</strong> diplodocids. Teeth<br />

were placed in a recirculating flume parallel to flow and measured for entrainment velocity and<br />

relative transport distance prior to burial. Preliminary results show a significant difference in the<br />

entrainment velocities <strong>of</strong> shed theropod and diplodocid teeth. Sauropod teeth exhibit greater<br />

relative transport distances <strong>with</strong> increases in flow velocity, while theropod teeth show variable<br />

relative transport distances and entrainment velocities; theropod teeth are transported farthest<br />

at a relatively low velocity (14.2 cm/sec). Based on these preliminary data, distinct differences<br />

are expected in the preservation conditions and abundances <strong>of</strong> shed teeth; sauropod teeth are<br />

expected to be more abundant in the fossil record, and perhaps found as lag clusters while<br />

theropod teeth are expected to be in lower relative abundance and exhibit abrasion and fracturing<br />

due to prolonged transport. Further investigations are planned to expand flume experiments<br />

<strong>with</strong> resin casts <strong>of</strong> larger teeth <strong>of</strong> Allosaurus, Diplodocus, and Camarasaurus to more accurately<br />

model tooth shape.<br />

27-9 11:00 AM Noto, Christopher [218496]<br />

PREDATORY BEHAVIOR OF A GIANT CROCODYLIFORM FROM THE WOODBINE<br />

FORMATION (CENOMANIAN) OF TEXAS<br />

NOTO, Christopher, Biological Sciences, University <strong>of</strong> Wisconsin-Parkside, 900 Wood<br />

Rd, PO Box 2000, Kenosha, WI 53141, noto@uwp.edu, MAIN, Derek J., Earth and<br />

Environmental Science, University <strong>of</strong> Texas at Arlington, Box 19049, 500 Yates St, Arlington,<br />

TX 76019, DRUMHELLER, Stephanie K., Department <strong>of</strong> Geoscience, The University <strong>of</strong><br />

Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, and KING, Lorin, Dept. <strong>of</strong> Science, Math and Physical Education,<br />

Western Nebraska Community College, 1601 E. 27th Street, Scottsbluff, NE 69361<br />

There is little direct evidence <strong>of</strong> feeding behavior in Mesozoic crocodyliforms. Here we report<br />

the remains <strong>of</strong> a possible crocodyliform feeding ground from the Cretaceous <strong>of</strong> Texas. The fossil<br />

2013 GSA North-Central Section Meeting 59

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